by Katia Rossi
Roots & Shoots
Graduate Fellow
Danbury, Connecticut, USA

You probably appreciate the sun's warmth and light, but did you realize that you can harness the sun's energy to cook food each day? Last summer I learned about solar cooking, and I'm excited to share my experience with you.

When I was the leader of Washington State University Roots & Shoots group in Pullman, we worked on shared projects with a local elementary Roots & Shoots group. One time, they asked us to join them in taking a lesson on solar cooking.

Solar ovens offer an alternative to wood-burning stoves, which are widely used in many parts of the world. Harvesting wood to cook food can cause air pollution and often leads to local deforestation, making it a struggle for families to put food on the table. However, with a solar oven, families can use the sun in a clean, sustainable way to prepare food. Solar ovens have even been used in some areas to support small, restaurant-style businesses that prepare large amounts of food. I heard one case in which a village constructed a solar oven large enough to bake 100 loaves of bread each day!

We took our solar cooking lesson from local community member Sharon Cousins who has developed her own cooker called the EZ-3.

Over the course of two club meetings our group members worked together to build these unique portable solar ovens from cardboard, tin foil and a plastic oven bag. I was amazed at the simple design, which was perfect for a group of kids to assemble with adult supervision. The next week, we met at a local park and used the solar ovens to make a group lunch of soup and cornbread.

With this flame-free method, you can simply prepare the ingredients and leave the oven unattended to cook in the sun for many hours while you're at school or work. At our group meeting, this gave us time to enjoy outdoor activities together and reflect on past R&S projects.

Last month I shared the activity with a class of college students studying to be teachers. They were looking for examples of hands-on projects to do with their students. I enjoy sharing this activity with others, because it introduces some very serious, global issues in a fun, interactive and meaningful way.


Want to learn about more Roots & Shoots adventures in solar cooking? Try a keyword search for "solar" in the Project Database.